Happy September! This is a big Murphy milestone. Both of our girls are out on their own. Madison living and working in San Francisco and Abbey now at UC Berkeley, all set up in her dorm and starting classes. It is so different around the house and a lot more quiet. But as I reflect on this, I feel two things beyond just the love and pride I have for my wife Becky and my girls.

One, our girls grew up proud of being from Modesto. As they meet new friends, they are proud that Modesto is the home of a good childhood, George Lucas and American Graffiti. They grew up enjoying the music, art, community and culture we all talk about and celebrate in ModestoView each month. They remember the fun times at MoBand and watching the music in the plaza, and events at the McHenry museum, the cruise parades, concerts at the State and Gallo, school sports and dining on our favorite patios. They leave as ambassadors for the good in Modesto.

Two. We now look at life here in Modesto, not so much as a parent seeking kid activities, but as adults, enjoying our friendships, exploring our city, visiting our art galleries, building our businesses, jamming with our fellow musicians, walking the art walks and eating and drinking in our favorite locally owned restaurant. It is an exciting point of view and we will continue to dedicate the pages of ModestoView, in print and on line to exploring and seeking out the good in our city for people of all ages.

So with that, our ModestoView mission that we started back in 1997 is successful and it is growing every month. But there is so much more to do to make sure that Modesto stays on the right path to reach another new generation that will grow up proud of where they live and hopefully event one day will return and bring their education and talent with them. As we work hard to attract new professionals, young and not so young, we need to be able to showcase the best of Modesto so we can lure them from other cities. That is what ModestoView does and we are so proud to be invited to be a part of the recruitment team that showcases the good reasons to live here. People who read ModestoView know the good Modesto USA and what we can be.

It is great to know that our mission to “Serve Civic Pride Daily” is making a positive impact on our kids, family and friends and hopefully new people that move to Modesto. We all have our part to do to make this the city we want.

Thank you all for reading ModestoView and for all your ideas, comments and friendship. Thank you for listening, shopping, eating, drinking and living local.

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Chris Murphy is the President and CEO of Sierra Pacific Warehouse Group and Publisher and Founder of ModestoView Inc. Chris worked globally in the cycling industry returning to Modesto in 1996. He is also the founder of the Modesto Historic Graffiti Cruise Route, Legends of the Cruise Walk of Fame, Modesto Rockin’ Holiday, the Modesto Music History Organization and co-founder of the Modesto Area Music Association. Chris is married to his artist wife Rebecca since 1985 and has two daughters Madison and Abigail, both graduating from Modesto High and UC Berkeley. He is lead singer and guitarist for his band, Third Party that donates their performances to non-profits.